I have spent the last two months inundating myself with the Lincoln County War and specifically Billy the Kid. I've been scouring books, websites, documentaries, and movies about William H. Bonney and I still have several books to pick up."What then", you may ask? Well, I will begin re-reading every single one of them.
During my research I found and joined a wonderful Facebook group called The Lincoln County War and Billy the Kid. It has been the perfect Facebook group for me and my project, and for my general interest in this subject alone. I've had the pleasure of getting to know several people within the group. Roy Haws, Gordon Fikes, Marcelle Brothers, Nicole Maddalo Dixon, and Drew Gomber are shining examples of the people I have met on there (Online, not in person yet). They have been invaluable to me during this research phase for my book. I know they get tired of the same old questions from newbies such as myself, but thankfully they haven't taken out their frustrations on me and my ignorance...yet.
I have been doing much note taking and outlining for the book and there's some content written in the initial chapters I have. I slowly get a little done here and there but it is a long process. Unfortunately I can only go so far with the writing at this point. A part, or the major part, of this book is/will be based on a trip around New Mexico (& a dip into Arizona?), visiting all the key places where The Kid had been, and hold historical value to him. The trip and that part of the book is about how I, as a recovering agoraphobic person with a rather sizable anxiety problem, deals with this solo journey. Regardless as to how many attempts at, whether one continuous trip or several small ones, or how long, is what is important and the true story. The history of the places I travel to, and The Kid himself, are the other parts to it. They are my focus.
I am still unsure of when I will start my crowdfunding campaign. I will get to that most likely after some more researching which means it will not be for at least a few more months. Once I get a final list of the places I need to go, where I will stay, how long I'll be at each place, fuel estimates, tour/interview with possible museum costs, and a better understanding of other tangibles such as self-publishing costs (if that's the route I go) as well as some things to pick up along the way for the incentives of certain donation levels in the campaign, I'll finely be ready to jump off that cliff. This aspect scares me nearly as much as the trip itself! Why? Because without the story of the journey, there is no story. And though I love to learn, and love history, I would have done all this research and planning for nothing.
This whole project just feels right, if you understand my meaning. I finally have something that is keeping me busy, is important to me, and is giving me purpose. It is also incredible because I wouldn't have been able to even comprehend or think of such a thing for myself just a few month ago. Sure, I am frightened, and have a great deal of stress, but for once it is a positive anxiety and stress as opposed to the kinds that lead me down dark mental corridors causing me to isolate myself from the world, where I remain in constant fear for my sanity, and safety. This feels like the beginning of a version of myself that makes me happy to be in the world once again. One that hopefully brings pride to myself and my loved ones. One that will hopefully inspire others who have suffered with the same issues as I have, letting them know that there is hope for people like us.
I will admit that the reason I wrote this little blog was in part because I had hit a wall and having trouble writing anything specifically for my book. This is basically a way to step away from it, yet still be working on it in some way...if that makes any sense.
Before I go, I would like to say that if you have any interest in Billy the Kid you should check out the website About Billy the Kid. It is a great source and a perfect starting point to anyone who wants to research The Kid, be it seriously or just for general interest and curiosity.
I have to thank Nadine Grip for sending me a few books for my research, and I also have to thank Roy Haws for sending me a copy of his book Brushy Bill ... Just Another Billy the Kid Tall Tale? It is one of the few times where Betteridge's law of headlines (usually attached to article headlines) does not apply! This is book is for the people who have seen Young Guns II a few too many times, or are conspiracy nuts and believe the story of Brushy Bill and that he was actually Billy the kid, never having died by the hand of Pat Garrett in July of 1881. I am no fan of giving him (Brushy) recognition but this is a book you need to read if your sense of historical reality is skewed when it comes to this issue.
Thanks for your time
David
I Just recently began reading the story of Billy the Kid because of the new photo that was found. I have no idea why I became fascinated w/ this story because I am no Wild West buff but I did read Roy Haws book and still am not convinced Brushy wasn't the kid. There are too many unanswered questions and a wealth of evidence that indicates Brushy could have been Billy. Now what is the scope of your research on a book? One proving or disproving who Brushy was?
ReplyDeleteThank you for taking the time to read and respond.
DeleteRoy Haws did an excellent job of providing evidence disproving The Claims of Mr. Roberts. I personally fell victum to (thanks in part to Young Guns II) the notion Roberts could have been the Kid. Many years later when I started to get into Old West history and began to study the Kid I quickly came to the conclusion that he (Roberts) in fact was not. As exciting as the idea was, I realized that just because I wanted to believe it to be true, it didn't in fact make it so. I found no "wealth of evidence that indicates Brushy could have been Billy" as you put it. Once again, Mr. Haws provided ample evidence to refute such a claim. This is also a descendant providing family documentation, a man who could stand from benefiting greatly if Ollie Roberts was in fact William McCarty.
There are a million books on the kid. Most historian have put the Bushy Bill claim behind them and have moved forward with their research. True, we have to keep an open mind, but once examined and everything is considered, once we come to a conclusion (with the evidence at hand) we must move on. If some extraordinary evidence presents itself in the future, then we will have to reexamine what we know.
I will not try to convince you. That is not my job. You have to come to your conclusions yourself. I can only guide you to books and documentaries to help you. I can point you to wonderful historians who have done more work on the Kid than you or I can imagine. But that is about it.
What I will do is say this; People don't want their legends, heroes, or icons to be mortal. We have a hard time accepting that people as legendary as the Kid can be taken out by one simple act, accident, or natural cause. For example; Butch Cassidy, Amelia Earheart, Jessie James, Arch Duchess Anastasia, Adolph Hitler, D.B. Cooper, Princess Diana, Jim Morrison, Tupac Shakur, and Elvis Presley have all been rumored to be alive after their deaths. Many people actually claimed to be them. In some cases such as in the Kid, multiple people have claimed to be the same person. Even decades later.
We have a hard time letting them rest in peace. Our personal beliefs do not make us immune from being dead wrong. We must accept the facts regardless of how much it pains us.
Ask yourself this. Is there a reason why you would like Mr. Roberts to have been William H. Bonney? Is there a reason you do not accept that the towns people of Fort Sumner, people who knew the Kid, who the cleaned and mourned over the body, who said it was the Kid, were either lying or merely failed to recognize someone else's body for that of their own friend? Or why would people believe John Poe, a man who had never actually seen Billy, when he told Garrett it wasn't the Kid?
William Bonney, Billy the Kid, William McCarty, or what ever name you choose to call him, was a fascinating character. I warn you, that he is also addicting. So take heed if you choose to study him.
Here are a few good places to start.
Books: (a small sampling)
High Noon in Lincoln; by Robert Utley
The Lincoln County War: A Documentary History; by Fredrick Nolan (this is the "Bible" of BTK and the LCW)
Billy the Kid: The Endless Ride, by Michael Wallis
The Authentic Life of Billy the Kid; by Pat Garrett
To Hell On A Fast Horse; by Mark Lee Gardner
The Billy the Kid Reader; by Fredrick Nolan
Documentary
American Experience: Billy the Kid
American Experience: Billy the Kid
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peMYV393xLQ
I know this is an older post, but I just read Jim Johnson's book "Billy the Kid His Real Name Was...". It is a small book and didnt present any new evidence (although Im not sure if there would be anything NEW bc it was so long ago and hard to find bc Billys life was so secretive that we're not sure if what we do know is accurate), the author presents the book as 'this is what we THINK we know, but we arent even positive this info is accurate, but here is my opinion and you draw your own conclusions'. It seems to me that Brushy was actually wrong about a lot more than what he was right about. I know Billy was smart, but Im just not convinced he could have plotted and schemed enough and covered up all of his tracks so future ppl wouldnt even know the truth abt him. I mean, that type of scenario would require so many ppl being involved and never speaking a word abt it, up til the day they died. Billy didnt know what the internet was or that he would eventually become the most famous outlaw outta the 1800s wild west. He was just a kid (no pun intended) of 21. People will eventually talk when theyve been involved in scandals etc its just a matter of time. The 1800s wasnt as sophisticated enough to know and think ahead that far in advance. Dont misunderstand, he was extremely intelligent, but he wasnt a psychic lol I want to believe Billy got away and rode off into the sunset, bc thats the romantic female side of me, but I am not so sure he did. Ppl have a bad habit of looking for cover ups and scandals- supposedly faked their deaths Jim Morrison, Elvis, Billy, the Titanic being switched out with the Olympic and sunk on purpose to get the insurance money. Billy was a living and breathing human being like us. If we were to be shot like him, we would probably die. Billy was no different. He is 1 of my favorite historical ppl and I just love him and his story, but it just seems to me the only way he survived is in our minds and hearts. IF he did survive, I would come closer to believing John Miller was him, though. Sorry to ramble on, and thanks for allowing me to post this. Just my 2 cents worth, but its probably not even worth 1 cent lol
ReplyDeleteFirst, I thank you for the response. I have not read Mr. Johnson's book and I don't recall hearing about it before. I will have to pick it up when I return to my Billy research. The project that this piece was about has been postponed until next year because I will have to focus so much attention to it, its planning, execution, as well as a crowd funding campaign, that I decided to focus on finishing a biography I have been tinkering with as my first real book.
DeleteWe do know much about The Kid. Yes there are mysteries still but it isn't just a Gordian knot of pure myth when it comes to him. Much of the mystery lies in his Father and Billy's birthplace. But, as I type this, Mr. Frederick Nolan -the recognized authority on the Lincoln County War and Billy the Kid- is currently working with an incredible researcher named Susan Stevenson on the very subject of the Kid's birthplace! This is quite exciting. I have talked to her a few times about it -she has taken it upon herself to mentor me in researching and has helped me with the biography I am currently writing-. She says it is coming along well but slowly. Everyone I know with interest in the Kid is waiting on their results.
I must inform you that I am no expert. But, I have surrounded myself with historians and other experts so I have access to their highly trained and much larger brains than the one that resides in my own skull. My advice if you are interested in the Kid is that you do the same. There is a great Facebook group called "The Lincoln County War and Billy the Kid". It has a little over 800 people and there are many experts that belong to this group. It is a private group but all you have to do is click "join" and Gordon will add you. Just follow the rules of the group and you'll be fine.
People don't want their heroes to die. Especially in such a simple way as getting shot in the dark as with Billy, or a murder suicide as with Butch and Sundance. They want them to escape in mythical ways, to live on laughing at the world for decades to come. Sadly this is not the way life works out. We know Garrett shot and killed the Kid. The people preparing his body the next day knew him and many others who viewed the body also knew him. There is no mystery as to the identity of person's corpse that laid before them.
I don't know what you have read in regards to the Kid but all I can say is read as much as you can. Both the good and the bad -good:Frederick Nolan > Bad: Bill O'Reilly- Just remember to not let your bias get in the way and ALWAYS be weary of conspiracy claims. I just started my own website - dlmavrikakis.com -for my future works but also for history in general. I have a Resources and Recommendation section. Go to the Wild West part and click on the Lincoln County War/ Billy the Kid section. There will be a list of great books to read and links to Amazon if you want to purchase one. I believe there are ten so far but I will be adding more all the time. I don't remember if I have a link to the free online version to Roy Haws Brushy Bill book on there but I will try to add it as soon as I get a few things done today or tomorrow.
No worries about rambling in your comment. As you can tell I am prone to doing the exact same thing! Feel free to write or contact me through my website or on Facebook.
Thanks again
David
I know this is an older post, but I just read Jim Johnson's book "Billy the Kid His Real Name Was...". It is a small book and didnt present any new evidence (although Im not sure if there would be anything NEW bc it was so long ago and hard to find bc Billys life was so secretive that we're not sure if what we do know is accurate), the author presents the book as 'this is what we THINK we know, but we arent even positive this info is accurate, but here is my opinion and you draw your own conclusions'. It seems to me that Brushy was actually wrong about a lot more than what he was right about. I know Billy was smart, but Im just not convinced he could have plotted and schemed enough and covered up all of his tracks so future ppl wouldnt even know the truth abt him. I mean, that type of scenario would require so many ppl being involved and never speaking a word abt it, up til the day they died. Billy didnt know what the internet was or that he would eventually become the most famous outlaw outta the 1800s wild west. He was just a kid (no pun intended) of 21. People will eventually talk when theyve been involved in scandals etc its just a matter of time. The 1800s wasnt as sophisticated enough to know and think ahead that far in advance. Dont misunderstand, he was extremely intelligent, but he wasnt a psychic lol I want to believe Billy got away and rode off into the sunset, bc thats the romantic female side of me, but I am not so sure he did. Ppl have a bad habit of looking for cover ups and scandals- supposedly faked their deaths Jim Morrison, Elvis, Billy, the Titanic being switched out with the Olympic and sunk on purpose to get the insurance money. Billy was a living and breathing human being like us. If we were to be shot like him, we would probably die. Billy was no different. He is 1 of my favorite historical ppl and I just love him and his story, but it just seems to me the only way he survived is in our minds and hearts. IF he did survive, I would come closer to believing John Miller was him, though. Sorry to ramble on, and thanks for allowing me to post this. Just my 2 cents worth, but its probably not even worth 1 cent lol
ReplyDelete